Herbert a



P 1929. H. A. GOLLMAR 1,726,892

AERATION APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed March 29, 1926 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS- Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT-OFFICE,

HERBERT A. GOLLMAR, or EAST ORANGE, New JERSEY,.ASSIG1\IOR To THE Koreans COMPANY, or. PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A conroaATIoNor PENNSYLVANIA.

AnnA IoN APPARATUS AND.METHOD.

Application filed March 29, 1926. Serial No. 98,341:

v This invention relates to the cleaning of porous fabric aerators, and more partlcularly to means and method of cleaning vib'ratile tubular fabric aerators.

The said aerators are particularly useful in processes of 1 gas purification, wherein the spent liquor-s that havebeen used to absorb hydrogen sulphide from gas are aerated with compressed air. The air is preferably introduced to the liquid in very finely 'comminuted form'by passing it into the said liquid through porous media. Stoppages in such aerators,

2 ther objects such other new and useful improvements, and such other operative ad vantages or results, as may be found to ob tain in the method and apparatus hereinafter I described or claimed. 3O

purposes of exemplification, a preferred form and manner in which the invention 'may be embodied and practiced, but without limit ing the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of tool for cleaning and reconditioning tubular aerators;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, of a portion of Fig. 1, illustrating means for coveringa portion of the tool;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational View of an aeration tank, wherein is situate an aerator for aerating a liquid contained therein, and showing a method of applying the tool shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal elevational view taken on the plane 4 4: of Fig. 3.

The same characters of reference designate the same parts in each of the several views of the drawings.

' The preferred tool 10 consists of a pair of rods or pipes '11, preferably of round cross- In the accompanyingv drawing, forming a. part of this specification, andshowing, for.

section, situate parallel and at. a. slight distance fromeach other, and secured to each other in this position by meansof a plurality of cross members 12, 12, 12, etc., disposed at right angles to and rigidly connecting the pair of rodsll. At one extremity, thehandles 13 are conveniently provided by extending the cross member 12 past-the -intersec-' tions'of the saidcrossmember 12 and the rods 11, to such a length as to provide con-.

venient grips for the hands of the operator.

At the opposite'end, the rods 11 terminate" in the tines 14, I that extend past'the cross .member 12, and curve slightly away from each other while remaining intheplaneof the tool as'a whole.

The crossmembers'12,12 12, ea, which regulate the distance'from one rod 11 to the other, are preferably made somewhat shorter than the diameter ofthe aeratorto be treated,

. and the tines 14 areflared until their extremities 18 are disposedslightlyfarther apart than the saiddiameter. To protect thefabric aeratorfrom any roughness of the tool 10, the

tines 14 are encased in a soft covering, as {for example, the rubber hose 15, which is firmly secured thereto, and extends some distance 19 beyond the ends 18 of the said tines;

7 When it is desired. to clean an;aerator,'the

operator takes hold of the fork 10 by the handles 13, and forces the tines over andpast the tubular aerator 16 in the aeration-tank, 17. Thissqueezes the tube 16,causing it tov assume a .roughlyoval-shape, with a rela-' tively'. longer verticalv axis. The tool 1 10 is preferably rotated to a position that is at an angle with the longitudinal axis of the tube 16, thus accentuating the squeezing action. He then advances one tine, as for example the left, by rotating the handles 13, then. the right, then the left, thus progressing along the length of the aerator 16, as is shownby the diagram of Fig. 4, until the toolhas traversed the entire length of the tube. The operation may be repeated as many times as it is thought desirable, until the desired results are obtained. It is preferable to accomplish the a greater ability for diffusing air or gas into ing vibratile fabric aerators, that have shown embodied in-a particular form but may be variously embodied within the scope cf the claims hereinafter made: i

Iclaim: v 1. toolfor cleaning arators, comprising in combination: a pair of spa'cedparall'el rods; a plurality of cross inembersdisposed' at right angles to an'drigidly connecting the pair of rods; a handle-at one eXtren'nt-y of the connected rods extending t ransverselyto both of said rods and for a distance greater alongthanthe distance between said ro'ds said rods terminating at, the other entr ernlty in tines that extendpast the cross member nearest thereto. and that are curved slightly away from each other while remaining in the plane of thetool as a Whole. 7 A.

2. A method of cleaning flexible v,aerators adapted to operate in a body of liquid which comprises temporarily defbrming the ndimal shape of said aerato'rs while submerged in said liquid an'd effecting such deformation progressively throughout the aerator;

8. A method of cleaningfl exibletubular aerators which comprises temporarily deforming. the normal shape of said aerators while saidaerators are inflated and effecting such deformation throughout the length of the aerator-s by a step by step movement there- 4. The method of cleaning flexible aeration tubes constructed to provide a multitude of minutepore-like openings so as to diffuse aif in finely atomized condition into a liquid containirig solid matter suspended therein which consists in applying transversely directed pressure on sald tubes with a longitudinal movement over the surface of said tubes while said tubes are operating to diffuse air into saidliqirid so as to squeeze said tubes transversely throughout the length of said tu'bes whereby not only the surface of said tubes is freed but also the pore-like openings of said tube are freed of solid matter therein.

5. The'method of cleaning flexible aeration tubes constructed to provide a multitude of minute pore-like openings so as to diffuse air infine'ly atomized condition into a liquid containing solid matter suspended therein which consists in temporarily deforming said tubes while s'ubm'erged'in said liquid by applying transversely directed pressure thereon with al-ongitudinal movement so as to squeeze said tubes transversely and progressivelylongitudinally thereof whereby not only the surface of said tubes is freed but also thepore like openings of said tube are freed of solid m'atter therein;

6. A method of cleaning flexible tubular aeration envelopes that are constructed to provide multitude of minute openings so as to diffuse air in an atomized condition into a liquid containing solid matter which consists in squeezing said envelope while inflated and shifting the region of such squeezing throughout said envelope. n

7. A methodof cleaning compressible aeration envelopes that are constructed to provide a multitude of minute openings so as to diffuse air in an atomized condition intoa liquid containing solid matter which consists in compressng said envelope transversely and simultaneously moving the pressure medium longitudinally over the surface thereof whereby to cleanthe surface ofthe envelope and also to dislodge matter held in the minute openings thereof. A v t In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand. I HERBERT A. GOLLMAR. 

